Beoboiinoz wrote:

I'd also opinion that by removing bass management with crossovers etc re setting all speakers to large, the overall sound detail and transient response improves as well - perhaps because of phase or other issues involved in the crossover process.

Agreed! I run a 'full range' system in my lounge with B&W standmounts (only a small room, and even without the subwoofer there's an obscene amount of low end on tap when it's needed!). The subwoofer is left for the .1 channel, everything else run full range. Sounds absolutely superb!

Beoboiinoz wrote:

I have heard a movie demo of Beolab 5's as fronts, 9's as surrounds, and 3's as back surrounds in a 7.1 setup (really 7.2 using the speakers in the lab 5's for the LFE, and the sound was far and away the best movie sound I've ever heard - including much vaunted specialist movie surround sound setups such as M&K THX systems etc.

Agreed! As of yet haven't heard a single system which will even get close to BeoLab 5s + 7-4 + 3s!

I have BL5s front with BL3s rear.

A good friend purchased a pair of 9s about 3 months ago and I had the opportunity to

place the 9s in the rear of my system.

YOU WILL NOT DO BETTER THAN THIS!

The sound 9s in the rear were ridiculous!  I am fortunate enough to own most of the speakers in the B&O range. . .new and old.

I do not have the BL1s but I can tell you that I 'personally' can 'hear' the difference in ALT versus traditional speakers.  I would not mix and match if it could be avoided.  Leave the 5.1 system all ALT speakers. 

Depending on your room set-up, you might be able to back the 9s away from a 'high' couch soas to prevent any loss from the low stature of the speakers. My guess and intuition is that if you place the 9s in the system you will NEVER put the 1s in.

Good luck.. ..I envy your dilemma

MJM

Razlaw wrote:

You are making me want to get the 5s even more.

I don't have a surround setup but I use Beolab 5's to listen to music. They are amazing! 🙂

Thanks for all off the input!  Much appreciated.

Resurrecting this thread. From comments in this thread it seems as 9s as rears can be spectacular with 5s as fronts, even better than 3s in the rear. After listening to 5s at both the dealer and in my home multiple times I decided against the 5s. I am now thinking about 3s or 9s for rears. Any thoughts about it? My preference would be 4 9s but they are too low to sit behind my furniture where I would place them. Too bad B and O does not make some sort of riser for them. :)

What about a pair of Beolab 3s placed up high with a Beolab 11 for the rear bass? Powerlink to Beolab 11 then to Beolab 3, as in a two channel set up? Then tell the system it has 9s at the rear?

Razlaw wrote:

Too bad B and O does not make some sort of riser for them. :)

Simple solution, make (or get someone) a stand of what ever height you require.

I had two black polished granite stands made to put under my 8000's, it was for visual reason's. They were only 1centimeter wider than the base of the 8000's and I had the edge chamfered to mimic the foot . Of course you can make them from wood metal etc.

Razlaw,

why don`t you plug in your nice pair of BL1 from you other room? Great speaker, tall enough, good locking.

Simple answer: Lab5 in the front, Lab5 in the back... Looks stunning and you never think about speakers again!

Ultra

hotknife wrote:

Razlaw,

why don`t you plug in your nice pair of BL1 from you other room? Great speaker, tall enough, good locking.

It may be a silly reason, but I want all my speakers to be the same color. The 1s, burgundy, and are in another room with a taller ceiling where they look better, with a matching burgundy cabinet, a BV10 with a speaker grill I recovered to match, and matching 6000s.